Spacial Dynamics Institute Training Programs

Play : A Shaping of Space

Play is what lifts people out of the mundane. Play is a catalyst. The beneficial effects of getting just a little true play can spread through our lives, actually making us more productive and happier in everything we do. Joy and play is the answer to the question, How does anything new ever come about? - JEAN PIAGET

Play is essential for the human being. It is fundamental and a foundational element of movement that shapes us. We develop behaviors, thoughts, strategies, movement habits, and ways of being by playing. It gives us fresh insights into who we are and provides a desire to experience connections. As I watch children playing, I see them excitedly learning about the world and how their friends interact. Through play, they seem to perceive the emotional state of others and learn to adopt an appropriate response; developing healthy friendships.  

In his Book entitled Play: How It Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul, Stuart Brown, MD, talks about 'play personalities' and how as we grow older, we start to have strong preferences for certain types of play over others. Most of us possess a mix of these categories.


The eight personality types are:

1. The Joker -- makes people laugh, plays practical jokes.

2. The Kinesthete -- loves to move, dance, swim, play sports.

3. The Explorer -- goes to new places, meets new people, seeks out new experiences (physically or mentally).

4. The Competitor -- loves all forms of competition, has fun keeping score.

5. The Director -- enjoys planning and executing events and experiences, like throwing parties, organizing outings, and leading.

6. The Collector -- loves the thrill of collecting, whether objects or experiences.

7. The Artist/Creator -- finds joy in making things, fixing things, decorating, working with his or her hands.

8. The Storyteller -- loves to use imagination to create and absorb stories, in novels, movies, plays, performances.

What play personality do you see yourself as? 


If you have children, what play characteristics do you see in them? 


As you get older, do you feel guilty about play?


How do you stay active and maintain your productivity?


Some of us are lucky and have children, which allows us to play. Our aptitude for play keeps us vital as learners. If you spend time with children, that are allowed to free play, you can see how they flexibly adapt to the changing play and are inventing new solutions with a sense of enthusiasm and exhilaration. Play creates joyful memories, and engaging relationships that last a life time.


Link to The American Journal of Play® for more information. The American Journal of Play includes material that synthesizes and puts into perspective major themes of play scholarship; summarizes emerging areas of play research; presents significant new research about play; illuminates the important role of play in learning and human development throughout the life cycle; examines the interrelationship of play to other aspects of human endeavor; explicates social, cultural, educational, and public policy issues related to play; and explores cultural history through the world of play.